Black Birds and Fat Cats
by Bittersweet Romanticide
Summary: A collection of short BBRae oneshots ranging from fluffy to funny to sexy to just plain dumb. Latest Chapter, Embarrassment: Raven promised she would get a lot of mileage of the name Garfield, so she has to call him that. Even if he retaliates.
1. Broadcaster

Hey, everyone! It's been a while since I've been on the site but I totally know what I'm doing. Really. I'm not nervous at all.

Really.

**Broadcaster:** Beast Boy's emotions are loud, sure, but it's not going to affect Raven. Nope. Not even a little.

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><p>Broadcasting, in all truth, wasn't that rare of a phenomenon. Had Raven been so inclined to go to the Superbowl, she likely would have run into one or two of them. She also would have spent her day vomiting into a trash can from the ever present assault on her empathic senses, but that was an issue of quantity rather than quality. She had learned from a young age to avoid places like that. That was an introductory lesson for empaths on Azarath, as even a relatively low powered empath could be overwhelmed.<p>

Raven was not a low powered empath, which brought other problems about. Most empaths didn't have to worry about broadcasters, as they were comparable to a normal speaking voice in a room full of whispers. For Raven, a broadcaster was someone with a megaphone over a stadium of screaming fans. She had learned this at the tender age of six when she met a girl named Katrin, a young magically inclined girl who was going to join Raven in her lessons. Katrin's relatively minor delight at meeting another empath had caused Raven to destroy three statues.

She still remembered her mentor's not at all comforting words, "At a certain point, empathy become infinitely more trouble than its worth. It's really not worth much to begin with. Many children on Azarath wish for empathy, as it seems like a fun and interesting power. In reality, it's one of the most obnoxious curses a person can have."

Monks were terrible with children.

Thankfully, Raven had run into few broadcasters in her life. On the other hand, one of them was Beast Boy. Upon moving into the same house with him, she decided on three rules. The first was that she must look into his emotions as infrequently as possible to keep the connection between them weak. The second was that she needed to keep from projecting her emotions to prevent a feedback loop. The third was that he must never know.

Breaking the first rule was inevitable. They were teammates. They lived together. Regardless of whether she checked on his emotions or not, they had bonded, and that was that.

Breaking the second rule was most certainly not her fault. Beast Boy even dreamed loud, and in her sleep she responded in kind. Several times she awoke, panting from frighteningly intense dream of hunting an antelope or rabbit that were certainly not her own. There were other dreams too. Raven tried not to think of those.

The third rule, well, there was hardly any cause for it. Beast Boy was sparring with Cyborg in training and she had decided to watch. And then she decided to watch a little more. And then she decided to _really _watch. And before she knew it her hormones and emotions had conspired so she was watching every move he made so closely she could feel the stretch of his muscles, the beat of his heart, his delight and excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet, ducking and dodging, until Cyborg caught him with a left hook to his side.

Pain wasn't really an emotion, but it was one of those things that could be transferred through empathy - that is, if one was paying especially close attention, especially if one was focusing rather intently on the body in pain. So Raven, who was convincing herself that she was really just interested in combat techniques, and who had been focusing rather intensely on the sparring match, let out a gasp of pain at the same time as Beast Boy, doubling over and grabbing at her side, exactly like Beast Boy.

Thankfully, Beast Boy and Cyborg were concerned with themselves, and for one perfect moment Raven assumed her mistake had gone unnoticed. Then she saw Robin looking her way, having just finished a set in the squatting rack. She fumbled at the link between her and Beast Boy, hoping to snap it quickly, but her attempts to snap the thread were as effective as going after steel wire with a plastic spoon.

And, of course, the Boy Wonder was already making his way over to her with his detective face on.

Knowledge sighed wistfully, _Ah, well, it was nice to have while it lasted._

Raven's emotional avatars weren't often ones to talkback - considering they were little more than constructs she created to help keep things organized. But, every so often, her avatars seemed delighted to rub it in her face when she got something wrong.

_I knew this would happen,_ Knowledge continued. _I knew we shouldn't have put off the research. Now you'll have to tell him everything, and it'll probably end with you making out with Beast Boy._

Before Raven could think up a reply to that out of the blue statement, Robin was in front of her, looking stern and firm and all those other words that meant she was about to have a very bad day. He crossed his arms at her. "Raven, what was that?"

She stared for a moment. "I don't see how that's relevant to training."

"It looked like you just felt Beast Boy's pain."

Her hood, which a moment ago had rested peacefully against her back, slowly rose to cover her face. "I imagine it would look that way, Robin."

He stared, clearly hoping she would elaborate, and upon realising she wasn't about to budge from her silence, said, "So, what was it?"

Everyone was looking now and, as a last ditch effort to avoid the whole mess, she decided to revert back to her earlier defense: "I don't see how that's relevant to-"

"Raven," he warned.

She sighed. The plan had failed. Not that it had been a good plan, or even a plan, really, but she still had hoped Robin would let things go. "You are correct. I felt Beast Boy's pain."

"Does this always happen?"

"No, it's rather infrequent."

"Define infrequent."

Azar, this _was_ going to be a terrible morning. "It's typically when someone is dying or in very intense pain."

"I'm dying?" Beast Boy squeaked.

Raven and Robin ignored him, though Raven did have to suppress the chill that slid down her spine. A nervous Beast Boy was worse than a screaming child in a library.

"Beast Boy obviously _isn't_ dying," Robin said. "So why is this happening now?"

"I did say, typically."

"You're being evasive, Raven." He glared. "Give me a straight answer."

There were two options. The first option was to come completely clean and admit how intensely she had focused on Beast Boy. That would lead to teasing from her friend and insinuations of a romantic interest. The other option was to tell most of the truth, which she assumed would let her escape mostly unscathed, with only the slightest bit of teasing about her being sensitive to Beast Boy's emotions - most of which would likely focus on making fun of any hormonal urges Beast Boy would have had. Of course, that would have been throwing him under the bus.

"It's a combination of things," Raven said, shaking off the strangest sensation of hearing a blaring bus horn. "I try not to get caught up in the action. I can end up slipping into someone's skin." She glanced at Beast Boy who was already opening his mouth to retort. "Not literally. It feels a bit like I'm moving my own body, but not exactly. English really doesn't have words for this."

"So you were paying extra close attention to green bean?" Cyborg asked, already starting to grin.

She cut that off quickly. "I was paying more attention than usual, but that's only half the problem. The issue is that beast Boy is a broadcaster. His emotions are louder than others. It's not something new. He's always had it. it's my fault for not being careful."

Robin eyed her. "So this won't happen again? You won't be knocked out of a fight because Beast Boy is?"

_Really, we'd end the fight far quicker if anyone damages him too badly. We'd destroy them and make out with Beast Boy,_ Affection responded cheerily.

"No, I won't," she said calmly, making a note on how many of her imagined future scenarios were starting to end with "make out with Beast Boy".

They dissipated - Starfire and Robin to the sparring corner, Cyborg to the weights. Beast Boy, however, stepped forward, his ears low against his head. He touched his hand to his side where Cyborg had hit him. "I'm sorry. Are you...do you need some ice?"

"There's no real damage to my body," she explain.

"So this doesn't hurt?" he asked, pressing the flat on his palm against her side.

She was quite proud that she managed to keep the explosive reaction to the candles in her bedroom. Had he done that a few months ago, she almost certainly would have thrown half the equipment in the gym and had to run off to meditate. Now, she merely scowled and slapped his hand away. "It doesn't, and you don't need to worry. You're just emphatically loud - much like your speaking voice."

She felt mischievousness slowly creep over her, and a glance up into Beast Boy's smirking face proved that it was indeed coming from him. "So, theoretically, does that mean there's a way to take my loud emotions and make them louder?"

"No," she said far too quickly.

He grinned, tapping his ear. "Now, Raven, your heart sped up. That's what happens to liar's hearts."

And Affection, sounding more like a grumpy child than a dangerous avatar of emotion, muttered, _If this doesn't end in making out with Beast Boy, I'm pulling a Wicked Scary._

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><p>So, there we go! Attempt number one at returning to fanfiction. Reviewing would be awesome, but I understand if you don't. Reviewing is hard. I mean, all that typing and clicking and then there's that dragon you have to fight...ugh. Such a hassle.<p> 


	2. Quotes

Anyone in the mood for fluff? I sure am.

**Quotes: **Raven and Beast Boy aren't the best at talking to each other. Maybe someone else's words will help.

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><p>It took Beast Boy about a year to figure it out, but he got it. Raven, despite her constant reading and knowing lots of big, fancy, confusing words...she wasn't actually good with words. She was quiet, only communicating when she was absolutely sure of what she wanted to say. It made her insults sting less once he realized that. Whereas he fully embraced the stupid things he said, Raven kept quiet and avoided any situation that might make her look dumb - and he respected that. He just wished she would try sounding smart and being nice at the same time.<p>

And then she did.

They were in a bad part of town, wandering through a sketchy looking market for some stolen technology from some big corporation that was doing blah, blah, blah. Beast Boy wasn't really sure what it was. Cyborg and the other had started talking science, and that lost him entirely. So he simply memorized what it looked like, understood dangerous meant "do not touch", and did his best to search with the rest of them. He was paired with Raven - he assumed because she was so used to keeping him from touching things. He really did try not to touch things, but it was hard when they were shiny. He had birds clamoring in his head to nest and dolphins and apes and rodents were curious and eager to look and smell and touch. It was how he learned things best, when they were real and physical and he could investigate. With all that taken into account, it was near impossible to stop himself from reaching out to a display of gold and silver necklaces, sparkling with gemstones.

Instead of slapping his hand away the way she usually did, Raven's hand stopped him gently, soft on his wrist. She seemed uncertain as she murmured, "We must not look at goblin men. We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots?" (1)

And he understood that. He really did. What's more, the words kept him distracted. He turned them over in his mind, hearing the rhyme and rhythm, loving the sound of it. It was easy to ignore the shiny things when he had something else to play with. He mouthed the words to himself and loved how they felt on his tongue. When he got back to the tower, he looked it up and read the poem again and again.

He was enthralled. No one had told him poems could be stories, could be exciting and interesting and as catchy as a song lyric. They became a secret pleasure of his. Story poems He hid dozens of printed out pages of poems and hid them in his drawers, with "the Goblin Market" and "The Jabberwocky" holding a special place under his bed. He read them to himself before he fell asleep and started to get a vague sense of why Raven liked books so much.

A few months later, they were on a steak-out, something both of them loathed. Beast Boy hated it because it was way too much work for him, all that paying attention and smelling and listening to every little thing. Raven hated it because it was far too little work all that waiting and sitting with nothing of real value getting done. So, there they sat, behind a case of laptops in the back, with Beast Boy recounting the tiles for the fifth time.

"Anything yet?" Robin's voice hissed.

Raven unclipped her communicator from her belt and calmly lifted it to her lips, looking painfully bored all the while. "For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." (2)

Beast Boy giggled as Robin sighed. "Alright. i think we're heading back to the tower. Good try, team."

Beast Boy beamed at her, impressed with her joke. "That was a good one."

"Not mine." She pushed herself to her feet, looking around the store one last time. "It's from a book."

"What? Like a joke book?" He frowned, struggling to think of what joke book could be that specific.

"No. Just a book. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." She strolled towards the entrance and he followed, his nose taking in the scent of freshly vacuumed carpet and old technology and the ever familiar scent of Raven. That was his scan of the room. He did it all while listening to Raven speak. "Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't read it. Seemed like it would be right up your alley."

He grinned at her. "I thought you hated funny stuff."

"I make jokes all the time Beast Boy." She shrugged, walking out the door into the brisk night air. "You just don't find them funny."

It nearly knocked the wind out of him. Raven liked jokes, of course she liked joes. He'd seen her smile plenty of times, and even heard her laugh a few. She'd made jokes. Not ones like he made, with a question and an answer and a play on words, but she did make them. Short and sarcastic quips. "That looks safe", "More than life itself", "Frightening, truly frightening" (3). They were funny, at least, they were when they weren't aimed at him and he wasn't focused on something life threatening.

The next day he had bought all of the Hitchhiker books, because if a joke was funny enough to get Raven to repeat it, it had to be good, right? He read them whenever he would sneak off without anyone noticing and barely bit back laughter at some of the lines. He almost wanted to reference it in front of the others, but he doubted anyone would get the joke. He didn't want the others staring when he snickered about the number 42.

But Raven would get the jokes. He knew that. What he didn't know was what possessed him, when he said to her, "Do you think Robin will ever figure out that all he has to do to fly is throw himself at the ground and miss?"

Her eyes widened, just slightly under her hood, and he dashed away with his heart pounding in his chest. Why was he running? She would be happy to see that he had started reading and understood it well enough to references it. She would be happy that it was something he had recommended, something she liked. They could talk about it. They could discuss it. They could get so much closer. That's what he had always wanted. He should be happy he had found a way to bridge the gap.

Instead, he was running.

That night, she slid a sheet of computer paper under his door, "I Know A Man By Sight", by Henry David Thoreau. It was tricker than other poems he had read. The beat wasn't as clear and the words were older and more confusing, but they meant something. Ravne wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to print it out and send it to him if it didn't. So he read it again. And then again, and then he sighed and fell back on his bed as he realised what he had to do.

He went to her door and when she opened it, he nervously and awkwardly read from a sheet of paper of his own - "A Time to Talk" by Robert Frost. He crumpled it afterwards, blushing and glaring at the floor. He was horribly embarrassed, but he wasn't sure why. He wasn't asking her out on a date, he was just trying to be better friends. It shouldn't have been so damn difficult.

But it was.

She made it easier. She was kind. "Frost is nice. Very popular," she said.

"I don't know a lot of poets," he said sheepishly, daring to look up from the floor at her.

"Things aren't bad just because they're popular. Frost is one of my favorites."

Frost is one of my favorites too, he thought. He tried to force the words off his tongue, but, for once, they wouldn't come. How was saying stupid stuff so easy and trying to say smart stuff, the stuff right there in his head, so hard?

They had been quiet for too long, so Raven said, ""I have a book of his poems, if you ever want to borrow it."

"I thought…" He smiled a bit, happy his tongue was finally working. "I guess it's dumb, but I was worried you would make fun of me."

She shook her head. "Never. Not for this."

"I'm not good at reading."

She smiled. "You're out of practica. The more you read the easier it gets."

He looked down the hallway, as if someone was going to round the corner any moment. They wouldn't. It was late, and both Beast Boy and Raven would sense them long before they were within earshot. "Cyborg'll totally make fun of me if he catches me reading. Especially if he sees all the poems I've got hidden."

She looked surprised. "You've been reading poetry? I thought it was only Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?"

"Nope. I like poems." It was so much easier now that he'd made the first step. Things kind of felt normal between them. "The ones that tell stories, and even some of the ones that just sound pretty. A lot of websites have readings of the poems and I like listening to them even when I don't know what they mean. Sometimes I think I can figure out what they're saying when I hear it, but sometimes I just like hearing it."

"You're father gone into the darkside than I thought. I don't know if there's anything left for me to teach you." She raised an eyebrow at him.

He raised one back. "Teach me?"

She ducked her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to imply you were dumb. I know a lot about literature and if you even wanted to learn I could help. Please don't take it as an insult."

"I'm not." He laugh. "You know, I'd like to learn."

She gripped the door frame tightly. "Even though I'm dark and creepy and ended the world?"

"Hey, you saved it too." And, wanting to impress her, he blurted a quote of his own, "What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" (4)

She thought for a moment, going through her rather impressive memory of literature. "I don't know that one. Looks like you've read something I haven't."

"Nah, that's a game." He paused, looking at her curiously. She didn't look at him like he was an idiot the second he said that quote was from a game. Maybe he had a shot. "You know, there are a lot of, like smart games. Not the multiplayer ones we do on the big screen. There are games, like, visual novels, those are just books where you make a couple of choices."

She looked contemplative. "Really?"

"Yeah! There's even videos and papers talking about video games as an art form and the things they can do and…" He flushed, realizing how eager he sounded. "I could get you one if you ever wanted to try. There's one that's full of puzzles, like a mystery and the choices you make makes the game end, and each ending gives you more of the story. It's really cool. And...and it's single player. On a handheld. No one has to know."

"Of course. It's the least I could do." She tugged her cloak over her head before he could see her reddening face. "If...if you'd like, you could come in. We could talk about Adams."

"Yeah, I'd love to. And, hey-" He beamed and winked at her. "Don't Panic."

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><p>So, I'm a <em>huge <em>fan of everything I've referenced here. If you haven't read any of these yet, please do. The poems are all free online. Hitchhiker's isn't, but I would heartily recommend buying it, or at least trying it out from your local library. The whole series is fantastic.

(1)"The Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti

(2)The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

(3)Lines from Teen Titans episodes, in order: "Overdrive", "Crash" and "Don't Touch That Dial".

(4)From Skyrim


	3. Fight

Few of you reviewed last chapter so I missed my Friday deadline out of revenge! Revenge I say!

...Or because college is busy and video games are fun. One of the two.

**Fight:** Raven's demon and Beast Boy's beast like fighting. They like it a lot.

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><p>Bumblebee rolled her shoulders as she walked off the field, a bit sweaty and her hair tousled, but smiling nevertheless as she stood by Beast Boy and Raven. She gestured proudly at their facility, her smile growing wider."So, as you can see, the new padding is amazing. I can drop from the ceiling and hit the floor without a scratch."<p>

"Impressive," Raven said with a nod. "We put our budget into the obstacle course. We don't spar much."

"Really?" Aqualad said, just as sweaty as Bee (and a bit bruised, to be perfectly honest, Bee didn't pull her punches much). "I'd think martial-arts-Robin would be all over going hand to hand."

Bumblebee laughed. "Or making sure you're prepared if one of you goes rogue. What happens if Raven joins Slade, huh? You have to know how to take her down, BB."

"Uh, actually…" Beast Boy blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Raven and I don't spar."

Aqualad blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "What? Why?"

'We're not allowed. Robin doesn't let us." Raven frowned, almost pouting.

"Well, he's not here now. Go ahead, knock yourselves out." She waved towards the open area. "I'd like to see how the mats stand up to tiger claws."

Beast Boy shifted from foot to foot, his eyes flicking over to Raven. "I...we really shouldn't. Robin doesn't do stuff like thi without reason."

Raven was shuffling too, bizarrely anxious. "We're really not supposed to. You shouldn't ask us to."

"Come on! I know you two don't get along, but I'm sure you can handle a little spar without killing each other. Give it a shot. Help us break it in." Bumblebee nudged Beast Boy forward. "The place is padded like crazy. You'll be fine."

"Yeah." Beast Boy said suddenly, beaming. His entire demeanor changed, looking cocky and eager. He smirked at Raven and bumped her hip as he walked out to the mat. "Robin was probably just nervous how embarrassed you'd be when I crushed you."

"Like you stand a chance." She stared at him for a minute, looking horribly torn, and then finally smirked a little and strode out onto the mat with him. "Let's get this over with quick. Don't want Robin finding out."

Then something changed, and it was sudden and subtle and made the whole room feel tense. Beast Boy's stance was becoming looser and confident, his body straighter. Raven was stiffer, if that was possible, her usually disinterested gaze sharp, focusing on Beast Boy's every move, no matter how small.

His voice was rough when he spoke. "Robin never wants us to have any fun."

Raven smirked. "He just doesn't want us to play too rough." She summoned power into her hands. "Don't worry. I'll try not to break you."

There was a furious snarl and then Beast Boy was a wolf, leaping across the mats. There was an awkward silence between the Titans East, and Speedy shuffled towards Bumblebee. "Uh, as interesting as this looks like this is going to be, I think Robin may have had a legitimate reason for telling them not to spar."

"Mad, Menos? Would you go get the rest of the Titans, please?" Bumblebee said, her smile just a bit strained.

The two zoomed away, and the rest of the Titans East slipped into a battle stance - just in case.

Beast Boy and Raven seemed blissfully unaware of anything outside of their battle. Beast Boy pounded and clawed, a tiger, a wolf, a velociraptor, an ankylosaurous - beating at Raven's shields. She moved back, swiping her hands across her chest and creating smooth sheets of black in front of her. When there was a break in his pounding, she took the chance to throw power at him around her shield, having nothing physical to throw at him - and hissed with annoyance as it skimmed his side, knocking him sideways but not off his feet.

He grinned as he rolled away in human form. "How many shots do you have today, Rae? You've been healing civilians. You're not full." Beast Boy rolled as she shot at him again. "In fact, I'd say you're at least half-empty."

Black energy sparked around the room as he got under her skin, loosening her control. "Don't be so pessimistic, Beast Boy," she snarled. "I'm at least half-full." She launched another shot of energy, a large, black raven crashing into Beast Boy and knocking him backwards.

Starfire arrived then, wincing as she stood next to Bumblebee. "Oh, dear. They had started the fight again."

"We just asked them to spar," Bumblebee said. "We didn't think that they'd be all...weird."

"Yes, it is their fault. They know better than to start the fight, and know better than to do so when we are your guests! You have offered us places to sleep and the pizza and did not laugh when I drank the mustard. Beast Boy and Raven should be ashamed of their rudeness." Starfire looked at Bumblebee with mournful eyes. "I will make sure they deliver the sincerest of apologies."

"Uh, as long as you're here...what the hell is this?" Speed asked, gesturing to the two.

Starfire tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How does Robin put it? Their inner animals are both very strong and fight very hard to be the alpha wolf. Beast Boy's beast wants submission and Raven's demon does not submit to anyone."

"Yeah," Speedy said, arching an eyebrow. "That cleared up everything."

"Robin and Cyborg can explain much better." Starfire giggled. "But Robin will be most displeased. If Raven has not already won, she will not win at all. She will use all her magic and it will take at least a day for her to be ready again."

Beast Boy rolled to his feet with a laugh, a red mark spreading down his neck that would be a bruise by morning. "That's right, Star! Raven's already lost." He smirked at her, unintimidated by her battle stance and glowing palms. "Are you going to surrender now, or do we have to do this the hard way?"

"I'm not going to submit at all, Beast," she growled, her voice deeper than normal and her eyes flashing red.

"Pretty eyes, Rae," he taunted. "Show me all of them."

She gave a furious scream and launched another stream of power his way, but he was a gecko, small and fast and desperately hard to hit. Of course, he couldn't really get any hits in as a gecko either, but that hardly mattered now. The wolf in him was eager. It wasn't often that he got to use the wolf's hunting method.

He didn't often get an opponent who fought until they were too exhausted to fight anymore.

"So, you asked them to spar," Robin said, sounding very nonchalant as he walked up beside them. "Did Raven burst already?"

"Yes, but she was already low," Starfire said. "Their gym is not damaged."

"So, Raven's out for at least a day, and they're both out for the rest of the night. They'll be getting a nice, long talk." He shook his head. "Did they at least pretend they didn't want to fight?"

"They told us they weren't allowed. Didn't say why, though," Bumblebee shrugged. "We thought it was just you bein' weird."

"And that's exactly why they didn't tell you. So no one would stop them from doing this. It's probably why they came down here." He crossed his arms. "Did one of them ask to see the gym?"

"Beast Boy," Aqualad confirmed.

"Of course." Robin chuckled. "Raven wouldn't instigate when she's this low. She hates losing."

Beast Boy was human again, hands lazily on his hips as he looked at Raven - slick with sweat and panting. "Hear that, Rae Rae? Everyone knows you've lost. You're just in denial now. But you're good at that, huh?"

"Shut up," she snarled.

"Ooh, very demonic. Hey, does the demon in you think the beast in me is hot, or is it just regular old Raven who's totally in denial about my dashing good looks?"

She blushed brightly and threw another blast at him, but it was slow and sloppy, and it was easy for him to slip out of the way without even changing shape. Raven swore and Beast Boy sauntered towards her with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, did that little outburst of anger finish off the last of your magic? That was a big mistake."

"You're lucky this started with me so low."

"Is that why I'm winning? Let's do this next part powerless and make it fair. You've always been good at hand to hand, right?"

They fought. For all his joking, she was good at hand to hand. Even drained of magic and tired, she was faster than him. He moved fast and she blocked him effortlessly and flawlessly. There was never a sign of pain on her face, though blocking Beast Boy's punches would hardly be a painless experience. When he swept at her leg she jumped back, landing nimbly and ready to block his punches again, breathing heavy and swaying slightly with exhaustion.

"Can't win with pure defense, Rae. You gonna take the shot or what?" He punched at her again.

"Shut up," she growled.

"Why, is she getting mad?" He managed to snag her wrists, giving them both a second to breathe, yanking her close and staring at her. "No, not mad enough to bring her out yet. Still only two eyes."

She twisted her hand away and launched a punch of her own, but he was all too ready for it. He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder, slamming her into the mat. He tackled her as she went to stand, and after a brief moment of grappling, he had her pinned to the mat.

"Give," he ordered.

"Not over." Her top two eyes finally appeared, furious and red. She had just enough strength to flip him, but he flipped her right back.

"It's so over," Beast Boy said, grinning. "I don't have a sword to point at your throat, but I can put my teeth there if you want."

She gave her best thrash with a loud scream, and upon moving a little more than an inch on the mat, she let her head fall back and closed her eyes. One breath, two, and on the third, her eyes were open and violet and she was back to her calm, collection demeanor.

"Fine. I give." Her eyes narrowed., and she seemed back to her usual self. "Now, get off."

He rolled off her, bouncing to his feet and giving her a helping hand up. She took it, though she looked annoyed that he even offered. Beast Boy walked to Robin and the others, beaming. "I win."

"She was half dry," Robin said, looking sternly at him. "You knew you'd win. That's why you started this. Does that make the beast feel proud?"

"Yeah. Predators love wounded prey, Rob. Don't you watch nature shows?" Robin raised and eyebrow and Beast Boy lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Robin. I know better. I let the animal side get the best of me. If anyone gets in trouble, it's me, not Raven."

"Raven knows she should decline," Robin said, glancing at her. "And just like last time, when she set up the match and beat you, you're both in trouble."

Raven wiped the sweat off her brow. "I know."

"I tried, Rae," he said happily, looking back at her.

"Raven." She doubled over, resting her hand on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. "For the love of Azar, Beast Boy, just say the second syllable."

"Just go to your rooms," Robin said, waving them off. "Raven looks like she's going to pass out any second. We'll deal with this in the morning."

Once they were out of sight, Bee grinned at Robin. "Sure they're going to rooms after that, Boy Blunder?"

"Huh?" He stared at her.

"I'm saying after that, room seems way more likely."

Starfire giggled. "I knew it was the flirting."

"More like the foreplay," Speed snickered.

"Aaaand we're done." Robin grabbed Starfire's hand, leading her quickly down the hallway. "Let's go find Cyborg, Starfire."

Starfire floated after him, laughing. "Wait, Robin, I wish to know! What is the foreplay?"


	4. Flying

Bit shorter this time around, hope you don't mind. Just some fun bits of fluff for you!

**Flying: **"Raven," Beast Boy said, his eyes wide and round and pleading. "Will you come flying with me?"

* * *

><p>"Raven," Beast Boy said, his eyes wide and round and pleading. "Will you come flying with me?"<p>

Raven calmly flipped the page of her book, wondering for the millionth time why she so frequently opted to read in the common room rather than her bedroom. It would be quieter, all her books were right at her fingertips, she would never have to worry about the sun in her eyes...It would certainly cut down on her interactions with Beast Boy. She responded to him without looking away from her book. "Why don't you ask Starfire? She'll go. She won't make you beg."

"She's busy." She raised an eyebrow at him, eyes just peeking over the tip of her book. Beast Boy blushed. "She's busy with Robin. C'mon, you've got to know that. Can't you feel it?"

"I focus very hard on Cyborg's emotions." She frowned. "He's the least likely to feel something...awkward."

"They're making out," he complained. "It's loud. It smells weird. I've gotta get out of here. Please come flying with me, Raven."

"Can't you go flying by yourself?" she snapped.

"How is it that your empathy works again?" Beast Boy inquired lightly, trying his best to look innocent. "Thinking about them usually makes you focus, right? So, Robin shouting 'Titans, go' or Starfire giggling, those kind of things would make their emotions louder, right? And, I mean, not just a little loud, but probably too loud to ignore. It probably gets even worse if you're in the same building with them or something."

Raven focused very intensely on her book, feeling a slight tingle down her spine. Not her own spine, she knew, but someone had fingers on someone else's back, just lightly scratching...She turned the page and wished Beast Boy's voice was more ignorable.

"That's got to be terrible," he said with a wicked grin, losing all semblance of innocence. "I mean, I can hear it and all, but feeling it has to be even worse - especially for you. You hate touching, but the more you think about it, the more you can feel exactly how they're-"

She slammed her book shut with a glare. "I hate you."

He laughed gleefully. "Do not."

She stood up without a word, simply rolling her eyes, and let him lead the way out onto the roof. The sky was cloudy and the sea was gray, but the wind was decent and the water was hardly choppy. Raven tried to console herself by thinking that it was nice to get away from Robin and Starfire's emotions, and that Beast Boy couldn't really talk in animal shape so she'd hardly have to listen to his constant talk. However, something was a bit off. Beast Boy stood on the edge of the roof, looking at her curiously. She looked back.

"Would you...do you want to try something different?" he asked, shifting uncertainly from foot to foot.

She looked over the edge thoughtfully. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll skip the double suicide."

"No!" he said, eyes wide, shaking his hands wildly in front of him. "Instead of just flying, we can fall, too. I do it all the time. It's really fun."

"Falling," she repeated. She remembered the team having a collective heart attack the first time he'd gone human mid flight, toppling down and down towards the sea, before his form twisted back into a bird and he zipped back up into the air. Starfire had zoomed off so fast she left a small dent behind her. Raven had left a long, twisted crack on the roof. "I do that all the time, Beast Boy. It's how we move to a lower altitude and land."

'Do you turn off your powers when you do that?"

She frowned. "Of course not. I'm not an idiot."

"Why? Can't you catch yourself?"

"If I have to," she said. "but why would I do that? It'll feel the same as a fast descent, but it won't be dangerous.

He laughed. "That's what makes it fun, Rave."

Her eyes narrowed. "I am not a party."

"Sure you are." He grinned. "I'm serious, though. Falling is way more fun. But, hey, if you want to be a-"

He immediately turn himself into a chicken and flung himself off the building, allowing himself a few awkward flaps before turning into a red tailed hawk and catching a thermal. She followed him, soaring quietly just a few feet behind.

When he turned human with a giddy cry, she propelled herself after him, watching him twist and tumble through the air. He beamed at her. "You should try it, Rave. Really."

"I am not-" but he was a hawk again, riding up and away from her. She flew quickly to catch up. "Beast Boy, we were both descending at the same nine point eight meters per second per second. I guarantee you there's no difference between whether I use my power or not to do it."

He was human again, doing somersaults in the air. "Then do it! Prove it!"

"There's no need," she said, a touch of anger in her voice now. "It's the same regardless."

Soaring up again. He was something small and quick that she didn't know the name of. She chased him, and then he was plummeting, again, almost quicker than she could follow. Changing direction was far easier for him than her, especially with the thermals.

"Then do it. Unless you're scared." He stretched, lying in the air as if he was on the couch inside. "Losing control is probably too scary for you. Y'know, 'cuz you're kinda a control freak."

She knew he was goading her. She knew. But knowing that didn't get rid of the flickers of agitation. His words crawled over her like she had angered a nest of ants. They soared up and this time, when Beast Boy turned human, she released her powers and tumbled through the air with him. The first thing she noticed was that, without her powers keeping everything more or less steady, her cape fluttered madly - even with her back to the wind. Her hair did the same, slapping at her skin just enough to sting.

Beast Boy was laughing, cheering. "Way to go, Raven! You did it!"

Her heart was flipping her chest chest as she eyeD the water. How long did she have until she needed to turn her powers on? She had to slow her descent. She'd hurt herself if she just stopped. Maybe if she curved near the bottom and didn't need to worry about momentum and…

"If I die," she said seriously, tearing her eyes away from the water just for a moment "I blame you."

He turned into a bird and she frowned a little as she followed him, realizing he'd stopped his fall far easier than usual. "You know, I was only joking. I can go down just as low as you. Farther, actually. I can go below the water with my powers."

Beast Boy shifted into one she didn't recognize and plummeted. He was going very, very fast and she wasn't about to try to catch up to him. She hovered, watching him go until he crashed into the waves, vanishing for a few moments before he bobbed to the surface, somehow managing to look cocky even as a bird. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you can go low too. Get up here." He gave a few awkward flaps before he took off and she crossed her arms as they ascended. "The point I was trying to make is you don't have to hold back for my sake. This may be a bit different, but I've had plenty of practice catching falling objects - myself included."

"You're chattier when I'm an animal," said the human boy next to her, grabbing her cloak and pulling them together in the air..

"You can't talk. Obviously, I have to make up for it." She knew she should have yelled at him for grabbing her cloak, but she didn't mind. She could always yell at him later, when they weren't having fun together. He always did something stupid, so it was only a matter of time before she'd get her chance to scold him.

He wiggled his eyebrows. "If it gets you to talk more, I'll totally shut up, Rae."

"Is that a promise?" She smirked, then frowned. "Beast Boy, my name isn't-"

But there was no point in finishing the sentence, though she could have if she really wanted to. He was a bird, streamlined by eons of evolution to break through the surface of the water, and she was surrounded by black magic, and there was nothing more than deep, soft rhythm of the ocean around them.


	5. Bonding

Woohoo! Back to the Friday schedule!

**Bonding: **It's been a couple months and the Titans aren't kicking her out, so Raven supposes she'll have to try to get along with everyone.

* * *

><p>It was all Beast Boy's fault that she had to figure out this bonding thing.<p>

It was tricky, after all, as Raven both wanted him to think she thought he was stupid and she wanted him to know she knew he was smart. It hadn't mattered how many nasty remarks she had made at the beginning of the team. She had been quite sure that the Titans would kick her out within the month. What should it matter is she snapped a little at Beast Boy? The child was green. Surely he had heard far worse than anything she came up with. A few more insults during the few weeks - a couple months, at most - would hardly leave any lasting effects.

But time passed, and it soon became apparent that no one was going to ask her to leave. In fact, it was clear that they wanted her to stay. They viewed her as a friend - though why they liked her when she was just as stand-offish and sarcastic as she had ever been was beyond her comprehension. Still, if they weren't asking she wasn't leaving, because the Tower was warm and living there meant food and a bed and no need to get a job of interacting with people. That meant she could hardly go around destroying Beast Boy's self-esteem. Damage it, sure, but not destroy it.

She also really didn't want to endure the kind of teasing Robin received whenever he did something nice for Starfire, so she had to ensure that everyone received some sort of attention lest the rest of the group began to think she was harboring romantic feelings for him.

At least Robin's was easy. She came to him one morning after training with a cheap, collapsable chess set under her arm and asked if he liked to play. Her voice was flatter than normal - her version of a nervous stammer: "Want to play?"

Robin stared at her, looking utterly confused. There was a moment when her mind scrambled and she wondered if running and hiding in her room was still an option. Perhaps, if she moved quickly, he would forget about this horrible moment and they could both move on with their lives, never mentioning her pathetic attempt at friendship. But then he smiled at her and the fear slipped away.

"Of course, Raven," he said, taking the board and working with her to set it up. He smiled at her. "I have to warn you, I trained with the best."

She didn't respond to that and Robin seemed to understand. Robin was quite good with silence. They played chess without a single word, until they reached the end when her loss became imminent. Then Robin spoke again in a warm, friendly voice, "You know, I'm really glad you're opening up. I don't want anyone on the team feeling left out."

She didn't respond to that either. Nothing needed to be said.

Once satisfied she had properly bonded with Robin, she went back to the drawing board - so to speak - to figure out who to try next. Beast Boy was last, obviously, as the idea of actively reaching out and building his self esteem was rather daunting. She would delay the challenge as long as possible. She decided to delay Starfire as well, due to the fact that feminine bonding sounded downright terrifying. So, Cyborg would come next. She had no idea how she would relate to him, but he seemed sensible enough.

She went with the direct approach. She walked into his garage, noting that he spent an awful lot of time there, looking at him dead in the eye, and said, "Cyborg, I would like to be friends."

He arched an eyebrow. "Gee, Raven, I thought we already were."

"Friends do things together," she said, confidently at first, then cocked her said to the side, just enough to be inquiring.

He smirked, leaning against the large, beat up car behind him. "Yup. That they do."

She relaxed a little. "We do nothing together. I believe we should."

"Sounds great," he said, his smirk widening into a smile.

She sighed. As nice as it was to know he could feel comfortable enough around her to tease her, it was still very obnoxious that he intended to make her do all the work this time. She took another deep breath. "Cyborg, I'm very new to friendship. My hobbies are few, and primarily solitary. As such, if you could suggest activities for us to do, I would greatly appreciate it."

He laughed. "You know, I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk."

She nodded. "I've read communication is very important in relationships."

Cyborg shrugged. "Eh, I think you say what you need to, Rae."

"My name is Raven," she corrected automatically. Then, Raven shot him a worried glance and hoped that her declining a nickname wasn't a problem. He smiled and she was surprised how comforting she found it.

Cyborg leaned down and pulled a wrench from his toolbox, passing it to her. She hefted the tool in her hands, surprised at how heavy it was. She hadn't ever done much with tools in Azarath. There wasn't much technology, what with magic tending to mix poorly with electricity. She realized she had been staring at the wrench for too long, and attempted to joke. "I know Beast Boy is annoying, but this is the wrong way to go."

He laughed and Raven smiled, just slightly. Her joke was successful.

Cyborg was chatty, but in a good way. He knew she listened and was glad to simply talk at her, rather than forcing a conversation. When she did talk, it was mostly about the task at hand - tearing down an old car for parts. He directed her, explaining a few basic things about cars. She was lost within minutes, but didn't dare ask questions. She did her job and felt like the experience had been, overall, enjoyable.

Starfire was next, and Raven found herself stuck. Yes, Starfire had often asked to go to the mall of shopping, but that was far too much. The idea of being surrounded by people who were talking, laughing, consuming, kissing, feeling - just the thought of it made her head ache. The sensory overload would send her into a panic. Maybe sometime, far in the future long trips to the mall would be an option, but for now it was out of the question.

But she had to do something, and it would have to be something Starfire would enjoy. She thought back to Azarath. There were children - not many, and they were all magically gifted, but they were still children. Boys had played sports. She remembered watching them from her window. what had the girls done? Well, aside from the ones who played sports with the boys.

She remembered the most common activities and grabbed her brush with a sigh. She attempted to rationalize her endeavor as she made her way to Starfire's room. Playing with another's hair was clearly just a variation on ape grooming habits. It was classic bonding for many species and nothing to be embarrassed about. It wasn't even exclusive to females. In fact, it would be far stranger if she never participated in these-

She found herself in front of Starfire's door, brush in hand, absently wondering if leaving the team was still an option, when Starfire opened the door and squealed in a shockingly feminine way. The next thing Raven knew she was wrapped in Starfire's arms and exploding two nearby light bulbs. Starfire stepped back, blushing.

"I am very sorry friend Raven." She tucked her hands behind her back sheepishly, though Raven noticed she was still eyeing the hairbrush. "I know that you 'do not do hugs', but I was very excited."

"It's alright," Raven said, offering the brush. "I don't know how to braid hair or anything, but I'm willing to learn."

She let out a smaller, somehow even happier squeak. "Truly?"

"Isn't that...something girls do?" she asked uncertainly.

Starfire took the brush with an eager nod. "I had many friends on Tamaran, girls and boys. Our games were to test our strength and prowess in combat. They were quite fun, but I liked things like this best." She took Raven's hand, leading her into the room. "On Tamaran, we decorate one another. It is similar to Earth makeovers but more…" She laughed. "It is just more. I do not expect I will do that again."

Raven stared, wondering what she was supposed to do with this. It seemed very personal. Was this normal? Did girls discuss their emotional turmoil? Oh, sweet Azar, was this what girls did when they brushed each other's hair?

Starfire giggled again, seeing panic creep over Raven's face. "Relax, friend Raven. We will only do the brushing of the hair. It is quite pleasant."

Pleasant, Raven discovered, was quite the understatement. She had never had her hair brushed by anyone - not that she could remember, though she imagined her mother must have done it for her at some point. Obviously, she had brushed her own hair, but this was different. It had only taken a few moments for Raven to loosen her frequently knotted muscles, and another minute for her to be nearly limp at the end of Starfire's bed and half in a trance.

"If you were Tamaranian, I believe you would be purring," Starfire commented giddily.

"You purr?" she mumbled, her voice far gentler than Starfire had ever heard it.

"Occasionally." She continued to brush her hair. "If you ever get the boyfriend I will have to tell him how much you enjoy this."

"Can't have a boyfriend," Raven mumbled. "Powers."

Starfire sighed longingly. "Then how will we do the talking of boys?"

"You like Robin," Raven said, with the calm assurance of an empath.

Starfire's eyes widened and she dropped the brush into Raven's lap, he jumped awake. "Sorry, I don't...I usually have more tact."

"You will brush my hair now," Starfire said, turning around to hide her blush.

Raven, eager to smooth things over, settled in to brush Starfire's hair. Soon enough, things were pleasant, and she allowed Starfire to chatter on about other things, mostly about how different Earth makeup was. Raven barely understood a word of it, but Starfire either didn't know or she didn't care. Raven left both confident that she had bonded with the alien and quite worried about how relaxing getting her hair brushed was.

So the only one left was Beast Boy, and that was where things got really complex. There wasn't something obvious they would have in common like with Robin. She would have felt stupid asking him outright, like with Cyborg. Beast Boy didn't seem very interested in partaking in girl talk either. Try as she might to brainstorm, nothing from her past seemed especially helpful.

She decided to take a chance and assumed her was knowledgeable. Not about literature or magic - her main interests - but about animals. He had to know something, surely, if he spent so much time in their skin. At least, she hoped so. She really, really hoped, because the last thing she needed was to make him look like an idiot. She was trying to avoid that.

Raven took a deep breath and knocked on Beast Boy's door, and spoke before he could get a word in: "When I was a child, I tried to pet a cat. It was purring. Then it turned and bit me."

Beast Boy blinked, baffled. "I, uh...good to know?"

She bit back a snappish answer. There was no need to treat him poorly. She was trying to make him feel good about himself. "I thought purring meant cats were happy."

"Oh." He blinked again, this time thing seemed to click into place. "Sometimes they purr when they're hurt. That's why scientists think they purr, actually. The...like, the pitch or something they purr at helps with healing. That might have been why. But cats are jerks sometimes. Sometimes they'll just bite to tell you they're done."

"I knew you would know," she said smoothly.

He blushed, and she felt oddly satisfied that she had caused it. "You said I'm an idiot."

"I did." And, before the moment could get any closer to a heart-to-heart, Raven left. She went to her room and meditated, thinking of a dozen ways to arrange her schedule to work on friendship, which really did seem quite complex - and two dozen questions about animals.

She sighed as emotions banged around in her head. Truly, things would have been much easier if they had just kicked her out.

* * *

><p>Also, I've decided to start posting drabbles on my tumblr page - bittersweetromanticide dot tumblr dot com. If any of you out there want to request drabbles, even if it's for a different fandom, go ahead and head over there. I'll try to make some cool stuff for you.<p> 


	6. Embarrassment

I'm actually not a huge fan of this one, but I feel so bad for not posting.

**Embarrassment:** Raven promised she would get a lot of mileage of the name Garfield, so she _has _to call him that. Even if he retaliates.

* * *

><p>"Cold pizza for breakfast," Robin said with a happy sigh, looking at the piece of pizza in his hand with something akin to bliss. "It's nice to have things back to normal."<p>

Beast Boy moaned as he bit into his slice of pizza "I never thought day old pizza could taste so good."

"It'd be even better if you didn't peel off the pepperoni." Cyborg chuckled.

"Shut up. This is too good to ruin with your murder." He took another bite and fell back happily against the couch. "I don't think I've felt this good in months. Normal has never tasted so good."

"I wouldn't say everything is back to normal, Garfield." Raven smirked, having long finished off her own morning pizza and now nursing a cup of tea.

Beast Boy choked. "What?"

"I'm just saying that everything's different now. We've matured."

He looked at her suspiciously. "You're messing with me."

"No, Garfield," she said sweetly. "I genuinely believe we've all matured."

"I hoped you forgot about that."

"Never," his team, minus Starfire of course, chorused.

Beast boy stood up dramatically, pacing around the couch and the other four Titans. He managed to pull off serious for a moment, so the other Titans were actually nervous for a moment, looking more like they were being stalked by a predator than teased by a playful friend. However, Beast Boy stopped and smiled, and everything went back to the way it was.

"First off, Robin, we all know you're Richard so don't start that." He pointed dramatically at him, then turned to Cyborg. "You're going to make fun of my name forever, so I'm not even going to try."

"Grass Stain, you could hold my future wife and kids hostage and I would call you Garfield over the gunshots. I will make fun of you always." He put his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, suddenly looking choked up. "Because I love you, man."

He shrugged Cyborg off , making a face at him before looking at Raven. "You...I'll figure something out. You better watch out, because I'm a master strategist now. I could beat you at chess if I wanted."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Really? Which way does the knight move?"

"I'll google it," he said, unable to contain his grin when his friends chuckled. "Seriously, Rae, I'm gonna figure something out that'll stop all jokes about my name. it's gonna happen."

"I'm shaking." She finished her tea and set it on the counter. "Stop calling me Rae."

"Really?" he said, for once as deadpan as she was. "Really, Rae?"

"I suppose that was hypocritical. Still." She raised her eyebrow again and repeated, "Stop calling me Rae."

"Nope." He took a big bite of his pizza and smiled.

"Grow up, Garfield."

"I believe Garfield to be a lovely name." Starfire said. "I believe it sounds very grown up and elegant."

"That's the problem. It's an old man's name." Beast Boy pouted slightly. "It was a family name. Some old guy I never met."

"On my planet, it is a great honor to carry a relative's name. Perhaps your relative did something great?" Starfire suggested.

Raven barely held back a smile. "I believe he holds the world record for most lasagna's eaten."

"I think he also started that group to ban Mondays," Cyborg added.

Beast Boy pouted at his pizza. "I hate all of you."

* * *

><p>"Garfield," Raven said with a smirk as he entered the room. It was a few days after their talk over pizza, and Raven felt she had been getting a lot of good mileage out of his name, and doubted that the novelty of it was likely to go away anytime soon.<p>

He grinned at her, walking to the fridge. "I wouldn't do that anymore, Rae. I've got a way to get you back." He grabbed his soy milk and set it on the counter, then slowly leaned forward, so the distance between them was only a few inches at most, something not too uncommon considering how often their work involved crashing into one another.

He practically purred as he spoke. "And, trust me, Rae, it's good."

She merely raised an eyebrow his way. "Are you close to show me how many freckles you have, Garfield?"

Beast Boy winked. "Just wanted to see your face up close, beautiful."

He leapt back right as her teacup cracked, sending a slow trick of tea across the counter where he had been leaning a moment before. Raven flushed, hurriedly rushing to the sink before the cup fell apart completely. Beast Boy giggled in return, walking past her to grab his box of organic cereal and his bowl of sugar. Beast Boy had recently decided to stop buying childish cereal with cartoon mascots on the cover, and was now opting to add in his own dangerous amounts of sugar, under the misguided notion that it was somehow more adult.

She took a few deep breaths, biting back all insults about sugary breakfast cereals, and said as calmly as possible: "What in the seven hells was that, Garfield?

"What was what, sexy?"

The cup shattered completely in the sink and she cursed, grabbing a paper towel to pick up the pieces. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Beast Boy. What is wrong with you?"

"You called me Garfield, Rae. I mean, I've got to assume that means you're trying to be more friendly with me, right?" He giggled, opening the lid on the trash can so she could drop the shattered remains of her tea up. "I'm just being friendly, Rae."

She crossed his arms. "This is your plan? I call you Garfield and you flirt with me? Do you really think that will work? You'll have to work a lot harder than that."

"The more you say my name, the friendlier I get. So, if it's no big deal, why don't you say my name again, Rave?"

She scowled. "I am not a party."

"Sorry, Raven, who are you talking to?"

She glared for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "It's too early to play with you, Beast Boy." Raven grabbed her book and sat down on the couch, glancing over her shoulder to say, "By the way, your cereal is getting soggy."

It was a small victory watching Beast Boy desperately race for is cereal, dump his standard three tablespoons of sugar into the bowl and start shoving it in as quickly as he could manage, but it didn't change the fact that the encounter has been a loss. Stupid Beast Boy, she could handle. Annoying Beast Boy, she could handle. Beast Boy outright flirting with her - not the little jokes and winks that peppered his language when he talked to any girl, but unquestionably, undoubtedly outright flirting - that threw her off a bit.

Her hand clutched the mug tightly. She was going to have to meditate after this. There were far too many emotions shouting in her head, all begging for attention, with Affection at the forefront with all her typical warnings of forcing Raven to wear lingerie or become sex crazed or turn into a rapist. So, she poured her tea, drank it quickly, and went to hover in front of the window.

* * *

><p>The next time she called him Garfield, it wasn't intentional or a challenge. She had just spent the past few days thinking of him that way. It had started out just for fun, amusing herself by thinking of him as a fat, striped house cat, eating vegetarian lasagna and playing video games by slapping his paws again the controller. It wasn't exactly the most mature of jokes, and not her usual type of humor, but, sometimes, when she was alone, she allowed herself to think of it as cute and smiled to herself.<p>

So, without thinking about what she was saying, she asked, "Could you pass the syrup, Garfield?"

And, seeming just as casual about it, he replied, "No problem, gorgeous."

One of the couch cushions immediately exploded, and she turned to glare at him, feeling the eyes of the rest of their team on them. "Beast Boy!"

He held the bottle of syrup in his hand, looking innocent. "What's wrong, Raven?"

She snatched the bottle from his hand. "Nothing's the matter, Garfield."

"Great," Beast Boy said cheerfully. "You know it's pain me to ever see you upset, sweetheart.

It was about this time that Cyborg and Robin got the joke. While their fearless leader had the decency to keep his amusement down to a small smirk, Cyborg burst into laughter so loud Raven was shocked the silverware didn't break. Starfire, on the other hand, looked back and forth between them, looking terribly confused.

"Please, friend, you are now doing the dating?" she asked, eyes wide.

"No! Azar, no," Raven said, tugging her hood up to hide her blush.

"Gees, I got an Azar. I didn't think dating me was that bad." Beast Boy grinned teasingly in her direction.

Raven ignored him and rolled her eyes. "Beast Boy has decided that anytime I use his birthname, he will respond by flirting with me, because he thinks that I am so afraid of human interaction that him calling me by pet names is going to keep me from enjoying his name. Isn't that right, Garfield?"

"I've got a lot more up my sleeves than pet names, mama. If you want me to turn up my game, you got it."

Starfire frowned. "Is not mama a term for mother?"

"It's also a flirty thing." Robin shrugged. "Honestly, Star, I never got it either."

"Shall I call you dada, then?" she said, looking uncomfortable with the idea.

"You should call him daddy," Cyborg said gleefully.

"Breakfast is over. In fact, we're never eating together again, and none of you are ever telling Starfire anything about relationships ever again. Battle talk only." Robin stood up awkwardly, looking around the room. "I'll be in the gym. Don't talk to me unless someone's dying."

Starfire watched him leave with a smile. "I know it is not appropriate, but I may refer to him as 'daddy' next time we are only. He makes many cute faces."

"Are you taking requests, Star?" Beast Boy asked, eyes wide and excited. "Ooh! Ask him if there is a birdarang in his pocket or if he's happy to see you."

Starfire narrowed her eyes. "I have been on this planet for several years, Beast Boy. I am not so naive as to ask Robin whether he is erect."

* * *

><p>She probably should have stopped meditation in the common room by then, as she had lived with the Titans long enough to know that there would be frequent interruptions, whether it was from meals or fighting or music or movies or games, but she liked that spot in the tower. The sun came through the glass enough to warm her and not burn, when no one was there should could enjoy the hum of the machinery, her tea would be right there when she was done...it was a very nice spot.<p>

But the common room was everyone's, so she tried to be reasonable about her requests for quiet, like when the video games were blaring and she asked, "Garfield, could you lower the volume?"

The volume lowered, and she went back to meditating, a bit disappointed that he didn't respond to his using his name. Though he had upgraded to touching her on the shoulder or tucking her hair behind her ear, he still seemed to enjoy his casual, "Sure thing, beautiful" the most. She was nearly back in Nevermore when Beast Boy was suddenly behind her, breath hot against her ear and neck, whispering, "Raven, I told you not to call me that."

She squeaked, nearly falling to the floor, but Beast Boy caught her before she hit. She twisted to glare at him, a bit displeased that they were now nearly the same height, and she was barely looking down at him, if at all. "You could have said that from across the room. You didn't have to scare me."

"I've told you from far away, Raven, but you didn't listen," he purred, hugging her tightly around the waist.

Raven tried to tune him out, but nothing worked. She was accurately aware of everything - the occasional brush of his lips against her ear, the heat of his breath, the heat of his body pressed tight against hers, his hands on her waist where he had caught her a hundred times in battle, though in battle she had never gotten pleasant shivers up her spine.

"I tried teasing you, but that didn't work. I guess I have to pull out the big guns now." And then he really purred, and then her so close she could feel his chest vibrating against her.

"You're being annoying, Garfield," she hissed, pushing out of his grasp.

He grabbed her wrist and tugged her back. "You know all you have to do is call me anything else. You could even call me names, Rae, you could call me idiot or elf. You stop saying Garfield, and all of this stops. Why don't you?"

"I try not to lose," she said. Feeling bold, she took a step closer. "And your plan, Garfield, is ridiculous. I don't know how naive or innocent or pure you think I am, but I was not sheltered as a child. I haven't been sheltered on this team. I've been hit on by villains, I've felt their lust. I know what sex is, Garfield, I've seen more of it than you ever have. Flirting and sexual intent may make me flustered, but it doesn't make me afraid.

He gawked for a moment, then looked around the room slowly, then back to her. She heard him breathe deeply, smelling her, and saw him slowly begin to smile. "You've broken at least five pillows."

She glared. "And it isn't because I'm scared of hollow flirting."

He slid his hand around the back of her waist, fingers splayed wide across her back. "So, what is it? Are you scared I mean it? Or are you excited that I've figured out you're goading me?"

She arched an eyebrow and brought her hands up to wrap around the back of his neck. "Goading you, Garfield? Whatever for? I'm Raven. I don't flirt."

"You could have just told me, you know. I don't think you're, like, too delicate or pure or whatever. I just didn't think you'd be interested." He paused. "And...and I'm gonna do it, you know. Say it again and I'm really gonna do it and this is gonna be a real thing.

"Do what you have to, Gar," she said coolly. "I'm not about to lose."

He leaned forward then paused so close she could feel the heat from his face on hers. He looked nervous, and she was frowning, looking shockingly impatient. Enough that he managed to earn a bit of confidence and smile again. He rested his forehead against hers and murmured, "Y'know, Rae, I actually kind of like Gar."

"Oh, shut up, Gar."

And, tired of his inability to just lean forward and get it over with, she kissed him.

* * *

><p>I've only used Starfire for jokes about naivete, but no more! I'll do something great next week. Matchmaker Starfire, if you're interested.<p> 


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